RealMe allows customers to prove who they are when interacting with the New Zealand Government and private sector services using a single verified identity credential. Previously, RealMe required a visit to the New Zealand Post shop to use Daon’s retail outlet desktop face capture software in order to complete the onboarding process. However, now the RealMe Now app enables citizens to simply and securely verify their identity anywhere, anytime.

Tom Grissen the CEO of Daon said: “The Department of Internal Affairs is laser-focused on providing convenient and secure digital onboarding services for New Zealand’s citizens. We continue to be very impressed by the agency’s market leadership and are honored to have been chosen to be its partner.”

He continued: “At Daon, we have developed and are now implementing a veritable shopping cart of face liveness with cutting-edge technology like machine learning and other mechanisms to assist our digital onboarding clients across five continents to address the evolving threat vectors.”

“Our strategy remains being committed to delivering a platform through which the identity of a user can be established, authenticated and recovered. Digital onboarding represents an important area and builds on Daon’s history of delivering proven mobile biometric authentication to millions of consumers.”

The image taken by the RealMe Now app is compared to the user’s passport photo which is held securely by the DIA on their database. If the match is successful and the user completes face liveness challenges, the application is checked by DIA staff and then the user is issued their RealMe verified identity. As the user’s image is compared to a trusted source passport photo there is no need for applicants to upload or scan in documents.

Grissen added that the Realme app includes a layered approach to security and provides a convenient onboarding solution for customers. It is hoped that these updates will drive an increase in the use of the RealMe app across New Zealand service providers. Kiwibank, DIA’s delivery partner for the app, has started leveraging RealMe Now during account establishment, eliminating the need for prospective customers to visit an outlet for identity proofing when opening a new account.

“The Department of Internal Affairs is committed to putting people first – we’re focusing on what people need from the government and how to better meet those needs using emerging technologies,” said David Philip, DIA’s General Manager Partners and Products. “It’s about doing things differently in this changing digital environment, and transforming the way we provide our services. This contributes to New Zealanders engaging with an open, transparent and inclusive government.”